Of course, the price of the paintings here was also different from those on Portrait Street.
“If I paint it, a single portrait is 300 Lington and a double is 450 Lington; if my apprentices do it, they are 200 and 300 Lington, respectively.”
Daisy gasped at the price, but Lynnia immediately dragged her brother toward the model’s chair.
However, realizing Laslo’s appearance wasn’t particularly tidy, she began to nag him.
“Oppa, seriously, do something. Get a haircut, shave! And buy yourself some decent clothes!”
“If you don’t like it, forget it. I’m not desperate.”
“Oh, come on!”
Even as she slapped Laslo’s arm, Lynnia held onto him firmly. Laslo clearly looked like he hated it, but perhaps understanding Lynnia’s feelings, he stood beside her without further complaint.
“I will begin the portrait now. It is best if you don’t move, but light conversation or turning your neck to stretch is fine.”
As the painter picked up a pastel and began to sweep it across the paper as if possessed, Laslo and Lynnia endured the tedious wait, standing stiffly.
Meanwhile, Edel and Daisy posed for one of the painter’s apprentices. Daisy was just as awkward as the siblings, but Edel, who had sat for portraits a few times before, eased her tension with a natural demeanor.
“There, all done!”
Time flew by; what with drinking the beverages provided by the studio and whispering with Daisy, thirty minutes passed faster than expected. The portrait drawn by the apprentice was significantly better than the cheap paintings on Portrait Street.
However, the apprentice tilted his head as if something were lacking, then turned to Edel.
“It’s a waste to be a maid with a face like that. Why don’t you look into singing? If you agree, I’ll draw a portrait for your audition for free.”
Edel smiled and shook her head. There is no such thing as a free lunch. He would only try to collect payment in another way.
“I have no intention of doing that. I am satisfied with my life as it is.”
“Hey, don’t be like that. If you lack the talent for singing, you can be an actress. With a face like yours, tickets will sell just by you standing on stage.”
Edel was growing troubled, fearing the persistence might continue, when Laslo suddenly cut in—to be more precise, he stepped directly in front of the apprentice.
“Since you’re finished, draw one for us, too.”
“Excuse me? F-for whom?”
“Marco! Since we’re already here, you should draw a portrait with your daughter!”
Marco, who had been watching his daughter with a satisfied expression, jumped in surprise.
“H-how could I possibly…!”
“What’s the big deal? It’s nice to have a picture of you and your daughter hanging in your room.”
Having received an unexpected gift, Marco thanked Laslo by bowing his head repeatedly. Daisy, seemingly moved, had reddened eyes and shyly hooked her arm through her father’s. The two seemed unaccustomed to posing, but they looked warm and affectionate.
*‘A sweet father and daughter. I’m envious.’*
Edel truly envied Daisy, as she was witnessing a kind of fatherly love she herself had never felt. As Edel watched them, Laslo, who had been quietly observing, called the studio owner back over.
“You, draw one more portrait of this woman.”
It was Edel who was surprised by the order.
“Pardon? My portrait, again?”
“Grand Duchess Celestine is very curious about how you are doing. We will meet eventually, but wouldn’t it be good to send a portrait ahead of time?”
It was something she hadn’t expected. Feeling her heart thump, Edel pressed her palm against her collarbone and bowed to Laslo.
“Thank you very much for thinking of me to that extent, Count.”
“Thanks to you, I’ve formed a connection with the Celestine family; I’m the one who should be thankful.”
He grinned. Although his face had looked somewhat like a rascal’s at first glance, Edel strangely felt he was very kind. She didn’t refuse any further and willingly stood before the painter. Thinking of Barbara, she was able to smile much more naturally than before.
* * *
Laslo had been passing by ‘Portrait Street’ because of Lynnia. There were many merchants selling snacks around the bridge where people gathered.
“Mmm, delicious! No matter how much fine food I get to eat, I can never forget these.”
Lynnia periodically sought out commoner snacks: roasted sparrows, stir-fried pig intestines, cheap meat pies, candies, strangely flavored drinks, or cookies that smelled of flour.
“I guess it’s ingrained in my blood since I ate them when I was young. Don’t you think so, Oppa?”
Instead of answering, Laslo tossed a roasted peanut into his mouth. Just as Lynnia said, there were times he felt the food from his commoner days suited him best. The food prepared by the chef was delicious, of course, but a corner of his mind would often wonder, ‘Is it okay for me to be eating this?’
So, whenever Lynnia suggested going to the commoner’s street to ‘eat,’ he would pretend to indulge her whims while actually enjoying it quite a bit himself.
“By the way, Oppa.”
“What?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever asked this before…”
Laslo glanced at Lynnia, who was blowing on a freshly bought meat pie. He wondered what she was going to say, given the way she was dragging out her sentence.
“You said it was when you were twelve that we ended up on the streets. I was three.”
“So what?”
“Twelve is still a child… how did you survive? And with a three-year-old sister in tow.”
At Lynnia’s question, Laslo’s memory flickered back to sixteen years ago. Their parents had died in a ridiculous carriage accident after attending an acquaintance’s funeral. Immediately after, relatives swarmed in to divide the assets, ignoring him, the young heir, and Lynnia, who couldn’t even speak properly yet.
*‘Who said nobles are the educated ones? They were no better than beasts.’*
Contrary to what the world knew, he was the heir to a noble house. But one night, while the relatives were bickering in the mansion, he had come out of his room, unsettled, and heard them talking.
“There’s the boy, right? They said they’d pay a large sum just for him. As for the girl, we can just send her to an orphanage or hand her off somewhere.”
Realizing that ‘the boy’ was himself, Laslo had returned to his room, packed a small bag, and carried the sleeping Lynnia out of the house in secret. He walked through the dark night without rest, carrying Lynnia on his back as she mumbled in her sleep. His arms felt like they were going to fall off, his legs felt like lead, and his toenails felt like they were peeling, but he gritted his teeth, driven by the single thought of survival.
After walking until dawn, Laslo arrived at the commoner’s street and learned for the first time that people moved busily even at that hour, and that there were merchants selling breakfast.
*‘I was worried about where to hide until sunrise, but this worked out.’*
He bought a piece of food he’d never seen before, shared it with Lynnia, and sat in a corner to plan their future.
*‘I can live off the money I brought for now. But I need somewhere to leave Lynn and stay…’*
No matter how much he thought about it, it was a dead end. He was pondering a problem with no answer when an elderly couple who sold meat pies approached.
“Kids, why are you still here?”
Laslo realized the old couple were kind-hearted. Just by asking about the children sitting alone, they showed they were prepared to help. Having no choice, Laslo hesitated before answering.
“Our parents passed away, and our relatives took everything. Our aunt told us to wait here with my sister, but she won’t come no matter how long we wait.”
“Oh, my heavens! Do you have a place to go?”
“No, we don’t. I’m afraid we’ll either starve to death or be taken away by bad people.”
One might have thought Laslo’s detached, matter-of-fact attitude was strange, but such incidents were common enough that the old couple felt anxiety rather than suspicion. It seemed their pity outweighed any doubt.
“Then, would you like to come to this old woman’s house?”
Even though they must have known that Laslo and Lynnia were not commoners based on their clothes, the couple offered their kindness without hesitation. They took them home, served them meat pies and soup, and even laid out thick blankets.
Laslo had to cling to even that meager stroke of luck for the sake of his younger sister, who was crying for her parents without even understanding what was happening. Laslo decided to completely forget that he had been a noble. He would forget his name, his parents, everything.
And so, he knelt before the elderly couple and pleaded.
“Please, just let me and my sister sleep in your doorway. I will find a way to pay for our room and board, no matter what.”